Janez Vajkard Valvasor

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Baron Janez Vajkard Valvasor or Johann Janez Vajkard Valvasor

Weikhard Freiherr von Valvasor Johann Weikhard Valvasor
(or Valvasour [1]), Freiherr zu Gallenegg und
Neudorff, Herr zu Wagensperg und
Liechtenberg (baptized on May 28, 1641 -
September 19, 1693) was a Slovenian
nobleman, a scholar and polymath, and a
Fellow of The Royal Society, which gives
"soldier" as his profession. [2]

Neither the exact day nor the actual place

of his birth are known, but from the fact that
his baptism was registered at St. Nicholas
Church in Ljubljana it appears very likely
that he was also born in Ljubljana, Carniola
(present-day Slovenia) in May 1641 as the
twelfth child to father Jernej (German:
Bartholomäus) and mother Ana Marija b.
Ravbar (Anna Maria Freiin von Rauber), Valvasor in 1689
who did not only live at their family castle
Medija/Gallenegg in Izlake but also had a Born May 28, 1641
town residence in Ljubljana at "Alter Markt", probably Ljubljana, Carniola
today No. 4 Stari trg. His godparents were Died September 19, 1693 (aged 52)
Freiherr (Baron) Konrad Ruess von Krško, Carniola
Ruessenstein from Strmol/Stermol and
Regina Dorothea Rasp from Known for Nobleman, Scholar, Polymath
Krumperk/Kreutberg. Title Member of the Royal Society

Valvasor's father died when he was ten Spouse(s) Anna Rosina Valvasor née
years old. At the time he was already Grafenweger
attending the Jesuit school in Ljubljana.
Parents Jernej /Bartholomäus Valvasor
Graduating in 1658 at the age of
Ana Marija Ravbar/Anna Maria
seventeen, he did not choose to continue
his studies at a university but decided to Valvasor née Rauber
broaden his horizons by meeting learned
men on a journey across Europe. This journey lasted fourteen years and it even took him
to northern Africa. During this period, he joined the army in the Austrian-Turkish War,
where he became closely acquainted with the conditions in the Military Frontier in
Croatia.

Shortly after marrying Anna Rosina Grafenweger in 1672, Valvasor acquired the castle of
Bogenšperk/Wagensberg near Litija (Littai), where he arranged a writing, drawing and
printing workshop. Valvasor spent a fortune on the publishing of his books; towards the
end of his life, his debts forced him to sell Bogenšperk Castle, his vast library and his
collection of prints. In 1690, Aleksandar Ignacije Mikulić, the Bishop of Zagreb, bought his
library, along with some 7300 graphics, and moved it to Croatia, where the collection
became part of the Metropolitana, the library of the Zagreb Archbishopric, now part of the
Croatian State Archives. [3]

Valvasor was a pioneer of study of karst phenomena. Upon the proposal of Edmond
Halley, who was not only an astronmer but also a geophycsist, his extensive treatise on
the hydrology of the intermittent Lake Cerknica won him a Fellowship of The Royal
Society in London. The date of his election according to Bulloch's Roll[4] was the 14th
day of December 1687. This is how The Royal Society describes his "career":

Took part in the Turkish campaign (1663-1664); travelled in France, Italy and Africa;
collected books, prints, coins and instruments; started up a copper engraving studio
(1678); fought against the Turks (1685). [5]

His most important work remains the monumental The Glory of the Duchy of Carniola
(original title: Die Ehre deß Herzogthums Crain, Slava vojvodine Kranjske in Slovenian),
published 1689 in 15 tomes, totalling 3532 pages and including 528 illustrations and 24
appendices, which provides a vivid description of the Slovenian lands of the time.

Valvasor died in September 1693 in Krško (German: Gurkfeld), and is buried in the family
tomb in Izlake.

Works
Dominicae passionis icones, 1679, reprint 1970 ( COBISS )
(http://www.cobiss.si/scripts/cobiss?
command=DISPLAY&base=cobib&rid=261635&lani=EN)
Topographia arcium Lambergianarum id est arces, castella et dominia in
 Carniolia habita possident comites a Lamberg; Bagenspergi (Bogenšperg), 1679
( COBISS ) (http://www.cobiss.si/scripts/cobiss?
command=DISPLAY&base=cobib&rid=75121664&lani=EN) , reprint 1995 ( COBISS )
(http://www.cobiss.si/scripts/cobiss?
command=DISPLAY&base=cobib&rid=50098688&lani=EN)
Topographia Archiducatus Carinthiae modernae: das ist Controfee aller Stätt,
Märckht, Clöster, undt Schlösser, wie sie anietzo stehen in dem Ertzhertzogthumb
Khärnten; Wagensperg in Crain (Bogenšperg), 1681 ( COBISS )
(http://www.cobiss.si/scripts/cobiss?
command=DISPLAY&base=cobib&rid=87695872&lani=EN) ; Nürnberg, 1688
( COBISS ) (http://www.cobiss.si/scripts/cobiss?
command=DISPLAY&base=cobib&rid=87695872&lani=EN)
Carniolia, Karstia, Histria et Windorum Marchia, Labaci (Ljubljana) 1681
( COBISS ) (http://www.cobiss.si/scripts/cobiss?
command=DISPLAY&base=cobib&rid=217886464&lani=EN)
Theatrum mortis humanae tripartitum: figuris aeneis illustratum : das ist: Schau-
Bühne des menschlichen Todts in drey Theil : mit schönen Kupffer-Stichen geziehrt
vnd an Tag gegeben; Laybach, Saltzburg (Ljubljana, Salzburg); 1682 ( COBISS )
(http://www.cobiss.si/scripts/cobiss?
command=DISPLAY&base=cobib&rid=53622528&lani=EN)
Topographia Archiducatus Carinthiae antiquae & modernae completa: Das ist
Vollkommene und gründliche Land - Beschreibung des berühmten Erz -
Herzogthums Kärndten; Nürnberg 1688, ( COBISS )
(http://www.cobiss.si/scripts/cobiss?
command=DISPLAY&base=cobib&rid=87695872&lani=EN)
Opus insignium armorumque ... ;(1687-1688) ( COBISS )
(http://www.cobiss.si/scripts/cobiss?
command=DISPLAY&base=cobib&rid=33650176&lani=EN)
Die Ehre dess Hertzogthums Crain: das ist, Wahre, gründliche, und recht
eigendliche Belegen- und Beschaffenheit dieses Römisch-Keyserlichen herrlichen
Erblandes; Laybach (Ljubljana) 1689 ( COBISS ) (http://www.cobiss.si/scripts/cobiss?
command=DISPLAY&base=cobib&rid=29952257&lani=EN)

External links
Entry in Royal Society: Valvasor; Johann Weikhard (1641 - 1693); Freiherr von
(http://royalsociety.org/DServe/dserve.exe?
dsqIni=Dserve.ini&dsqApp=Archive&dsqCmd=Show.tcl&dsqDb=Persons&dsqPos=0&dsqSearch=%28Surname%3D%27Valvasor%27%29)
Istria on the Internet, Relevant non-Istrians: Johann Weichard Freiherr von Valvasor
(http://istrianet.org/istria/illustri/non-istrian/valvasor/index.htm)
Valvasor on the Slovenian 20 Tolars banknote (http://www-
personal.umich.edu/~jbourj/money4.htm)

References
1. ^ see:Fellows of The Royal Society (http://royalsociety.org/DServe/dserve.exe?
dsqIni=Dserve.ini&dsqApp=Archive&dsqCmd=Show.tcl&dsqDb=Persons&dsqPos=0&dsqSearch=%28Surname%3D%27Valvasor%27%29)
2. ^ :Fellows of The Royal Society (http://royalsociety.org/DServe/dserve.exe?
dsqIni=Dserve.ini&dsqApp=Archive&dsqCmd=Show.tcl&dsqDb=Persons&dsqPos=0&dsqSearch=%28Surname%3D%27Valvasor%27%29)
3. ^ Croatian State Archives (http://www.arhiv.hr/hr/hda/fs-ovi/metropolitana.htm) ,
Division of the Zagreb Archbishopy, retrieved 2009-04-03 (Croatian)
4. ^ Bulloch's Roll (http://royalsociety.org/page.asp?tip=1&id=2828) is a series of 11
handwritten volumes, arranged chronologically by date of election to The Royal
Society 1663-1940, of biographical details of Fellows and Foreign Members
gleaned from various sources.
5. ^ Fellows of the Royal Society (http://royalsociety.org/DServe/dserve.exe?
dsqIni=Dserve.ini&dsqApp=Archive&dsqCmd=Show.tcl&dsqDb=Persons&dsqPos=0&dsqSearch=%28Surname%3D%27Valvasor%27%29)
Retrieved from "http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Janez_Vajkard_Valvasor"
Categories: 1641 births | 1693 deaths | Austrian people | Austrian nobility | Slovenian
writers | People from Ljubljana | Fellows of the Royal Society

This page was last modified on 28 February 2010 at 09:07.

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